Higgins and Lapierre are seen here just after receiving the news that I drafted them in my NHL playoff pool

Higgins and Lapierre are seen here just after receiving the news that I drafted them in my NHL playoff pool

Every year some third-liner finishes near the top of the playoff scoring chart. Marchand last year, Ville Leino the year before and Danny Cleary the year before that all finished top 10 in postseason scoring without being even top 100 in the regular season. Remember Fernando Pisani? Grab one of these unlikely heroes late and win money and begrudging adulation from your friends or coworkers. Maybe both.

EAST

Only the most delusional Caps fan could believe this version will make a serious run at Lord Stanley, but Jason Chimera is an under-appreciated goal scorer and will definitely be available. Boston will lay waste to Washington though, and for those of you that don’t hate the Bruins with every fiber of your being, David Krejci led the playoffs in scoring last year but never gets talked about unless it’s to rip his fat contract.

The Panthers are in the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade and methinks they drop the first round to a seasoned Devils squad. If they do slip by, Kris Versteeg could certainly be had in the last round and if you take away an eight game pointless streak he had coming off an injury, he was almost a point-a-game player in 2011-2012. If you like the Devils though, I’d just go with Marty as a second goalie. Guy loves goose eggs.

Rangers are designed for a deep playoff run, with scoring so balanced that everybody outside of Lundqvist, Richards and Gaborik can be considered sleepers. Ever since 24/7 I’ve been a big Dubinsky fan, but secretly I’d like the Senators to upset here, and they played New York well this year (3-1) so it’s not impossible. They’ll need some secondary scoring though, and Kyle Turris looks ready to make the next step at the most crucial time.

The Penguins against the Flyers is the hockey gods at their cruelest and also most gracious. We get to see probably the best possible matchup, but one of two teams that look fully capable of winning the Cup will be ousted early. Former Pen Max Talbot is a crunch time performer and should be jacked for Round 1. For Pittsburgh, Pascal Dupuis has tons of value late, but I wouldn’t want to bet on this series even with somebody else’s money.

WEST

Nobody really believes in Phoenix because their organization is always in shambles but they won their division and Mike Smith is on fire NBA Jam style. He’s a good grab as a second goalie. For Chicago, Viktor Stalberg scored one less goal than Patrick Kane and will go 15 rounds later if at all.

The Blues have dominated the Sharks this year (4-0) and look poised to go past the first round for the first time in 10 years. For sleepers, David Perron (.75) had the best PPG on the team and will probably get drafted behind seven other Blues. If you like the Shark then Clowe already plays most games like they are playoff contests and will go behind all those big names up front for San Jose

Probably the best matchup in the Western Conference: The Preds and Detroit both have Stanley Cup aspirations. The Wings always have guys who step up their game in the playoffs, and forwards like Helm and Cleary are Maltby and Draper 2.0. The Preds didn’t have a guy go over 60 points, but Radulov will probably go earlier than expected. Weber will definitely go high too, but Suter only had three less points than the kid from Sicamous and can be had for far less.

Canucks will fly off the board in local drafts with diehards probably picking a hometown boy first overall. Most likely Henrik. Luongo will go high for goalies too considering he could easily lose his job and Lapierre and Higgins are so hot right now they might even get picked before Kesler. On the back end, Salo will probably be the fourth Vancouver defenseman taken but might be second most valuable. The sad part is, because almost every Canuck will get taken, somebody will probably draft Mason Raymond. The Kings are top heavy and don’t have many hidden gems, proof being their sixth-leading scorer is Willie Mitchell. I’d rather that Voynov kid on defense. Richards has been much maligned to say the least, finishing 132nd in league scoring (44 pts). But he has managed points in the last five, and always plays better when it counts.

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